UK high commissioner summoned over emergence of 'Free Balochistan' posters in London

Saturday, 4 November 2017

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary
Tehmina Janjua on Friday summoned the British High Commissioner in Pakistan
Thomas Drew over the display of “anti-Pakistan slogans” on London cabs “that
directly attack its territorial veracity and dominion”.

The
posters reading “Free Balochistan” slogans allegedly appeared on vehicles in
London earlier on Friday.

A
foreign office statement read “the high commissioner was informed that
Pakistan, in line with the UN Charter, discards actions and advertisements with
malevolent content that encroach on our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
It said that the “issue was also being raised with the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office by our High Commissioner in London”.

“Pakistan
is aware of the intentions of such sinister and malicious campaigns, which
should not be allowed on the soil of a friendly country,” the statement further
read.

Earlier
this year during the United Nation General Assembly meeting, similar posters
had appeared in the Swiss city of Geneva, irking Pakistani people and
government to a large extent.

Pakistan
also launched a complaint to the Swiss authorities, saying “Any notion of ‘Free
Baluchistan’ is a flagrant attack on [the] sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Pakistan.”

The Foreign Office spokesperson had
blamed India for the emergence of the anti-Pakistan posters in Geneva,
Switzerland. Moreover, Pakistan had linked the posters to the Balochistan
Liberation Army (BLA), which, he said, is a “listed terrorist organisation
under the laws of Pakistan and other countries, including the United Kingdom.”